My heart won't stop pounding. My hands won't stop sweating.

He knows. Jack knows.

How is that possible? I haven't said a thing. Neither has Allison. Jack knows Nadir, but it was only that one time and nothing was revealed. I look down at my stomach; I'm barely showing. I only have a small, teeny bump. A stranger wouldn't know I'm pregnant.

A baby.

My baby.

My baby.

Not his, not our-mine!

Looking at Jack, I feel light headed. "How? How do you know?"

Jack digs his hand into his back pocket and brings out...my phone!

I snatch it from his grasp. "My phone! Where did you find it?" I stare at him, wide-eyed. A new thought crosses my mind: "When did you find it?"

Jack crosses his arms. "I found it two weeks ago."

That's when he started bugging me at school, asking me to come back to him. I grow angry. "You lied! A few days ago, you denied finding it!"

He shrugs. "Whatever."

I huff, blowing hair away from my face.

"Want me to finish the story?" Jack pompously asks.

I glare at him.

"Okay," he continues. "I found it two weeks ago. And, if you must know, it was buried between the cushions from the couch in the living room. I heard it ring and that's what gave it away."

Now I remember: I threw it there when I was going to tell Jack the news of my pregnancy. After discovering his affair and getting kicked out, I forgot all about my phone.

"It was really sitting in deep within the cushions," Jack explains. "Hence, why the ring finally gave its place away."

I scowl, already getting annoyed. "Just continue with the story."

"I find the phone, instantly recognizing it as yours, and answer it. Some woman on the other end asks for you, so I tell her you're not here. I was about to explain to her that you won't be back for a while when she asks if I'm related to you. I grow curious and tell her I'm your fiance."

Jack-that ass, I growl in my head.

"The woman then proceeds to tell me that she's wants to remind you of your appointment with the obstetrician, Nadir Khan. After that she hung up." Jack finishes his story, but not his speech: "At first, I couldn't believe it. For a minute, I contemplated whether you had sex with another man. Then I realized how impossible that was. You would never do that! Amy, who is so pure and devoted, would never cheat on me! But I also couldn't believe that after our first time, you would get pregnant-we only did it once-however, I knew it wasn't improbable. After deciding and thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that I will need to take care of you and the baby. That's right," he reassures. "I'm taking responsibility." He smiles, proudly, like a little boy.

I stare at him. I'm still ticked, but I need to tell him, gently, that I don't need or want him. We're done.

"Jack." I step closer to him. "Thanks for taking that...noble step-"

Phht, yeah right.

"But," I pick at my nail, growing nervous. "I'm on my own with this one."

Jack's grin fades, his face going neutral.

I continue. "I-I am going to be a single mom. Thanks, but we're over Jack. You hurt me once, very badly, and looking at what's happened within these past few weeks, I think your going to continue to hurt me. And, therefore, I fear you'll hurt the child, too." I place a hand on my stomach. Tears come into my eyes at that drastic thought. "I had some great times with you, but I think those times are up. Thank you for giving me some wonderful memories."

Regretfully, a tear falls from my eye. I wipe it away. "Goodbye, Jack." With my hand on the doorknob, I turn it, only being able to open it a crack before I get yanked back by a strong grip. The door slams shut. I hope no one heard that.

Jack's hand is holding onto my elbow like a tire iron. That's going to bruise.

"Now you listen to me!" Jack snarls. Spit flies from his mouth and hits me in the face.

My mouth forms a thin line, forcing myself to stay quiet. I don't want to provoke his anger any more than it already is.

"You. Are. Mine!" Jack growls. "Mine. I'm not letting you go, Amy. I said that before and that's the plan I'm going to stick to."

"Well, forget it, Jack." I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Forget it and move on. I am. You lost me, Jack. You lost me when you started beating me. You lost me when you started sleeping with other women." I swallow. "And you lost me when you forced me to bed."

"'Forced'?!" Jack yells. "I hardly forced you, Amy! You make it sound like rape."

"It wasn't technically, but it wasn't really consensual either, considering I felt pressured by you to have sex. I only had sex with you for the hope that I'll get a break from your physical and emotional abuse." I step forward, swinging my arm out of his grasp. "I wanted to make love to you, but you only wanted to have sex, so that's what I gave you."

Three things happened at once:

One; Jack slaps me.

Two; I fall to the ground.

Three; Erik opens the door.

I press a hand against my stinging cheek. The door is not wide open, but it's open enough for Erik to sneak through. And, oh God, Erik just saw what happened. I can see it all over his face.

Jack, who's breathing hard, suddenly sees Erik and tries to clean up his act. He places his hands on his hips. "Hey. I recognize you-you were here last time. Nice to see you again."

Erik, troubled, steps out into the hallway and closes the door, softly...too softly. Tears fall from my eyes.

What's going to happen? What is Erik going to think? Will Jack ever let me be in peace?

Erik's gaze leaves mine and goes to Jack's. "What the hell is going on here?" There is rage in his voice and fire in his eyes. Jack takes a step back from the heat of Erik's gaze, but he quickly recovers. Erik's fist clenches as hard as a rock.

One punch from him and Jack would be out.

I slowly stand-up. "Ah!" I cradle my jaw.

Erik's hand caresses my shoulder. "You okay?"

I pull my hand away to see blood. It's a small blot. I bring my hand back to my lip, observing my finger. More blood, fresh blood. My teeth must've gotten my lip.

"You're bleeding." Erik sounds amazed, like he can't believe it. He brings a hand hesitantly up to my mouth, brushing his thumb against my lower lip. He did it so gently that all I felt was a small tickle

That touch itself sends delicious goosebumps along my body.

"Does it hurt?" he asks.

"Just a little," I admit pitifully.

Erik scowls. "Amy, your cheek is red and starting to swell." He glares at Jack, wrapping a gentle arm around my waist protectively.

"Did I really just see what I thought I saw?" he asks Jack. Suddenly he takes a sniff, his eyebrows knit together. "You've been drinking, haven't you?"

Jack smirks. "And what did you see?" He ignores Erik's second question.

"It looks like you slapped a woman," Erik growls in this throat. He resembles a dog protecting his owner. Even his shoulders are hunched slightly, ready to pounce. "It looks like you slapped my friend."

In a way my heart both leaps and a falls.

At least I know he thinks we're friends.

Sadly, he appears to only think of us as friends.

Looks like my secret is going to remain a secret.

Jack shrugs, dismissing it. "Friends with a masked man, Amy? That's not creepy. Or freaky."

Erik takes a deep breath. I place a hand on his arm, hoping to soothe him a little. I can see he's getting worked up; a vein is popping from his neck.

"Jack, just leave please," I choke out. "This conversation is done. We're done." I whisper the last part to myself. I can feel Erik stiffen.

"What?" he whispers to me.

"It's not over until I say it's over!" Jack yells, face going red. "You're my fiancee! YOU need to show me some RESPECT!"

I shift my weight. I know, Erik, I know. Even I can't believe I loved this baby.

"What..?" Erik is slightly breathless. He turns to face me, his eyes reveal despair. "You're going to be married?"

I shake my head. No no no no no no no. This is not happening. "No, we're not, Erik. You saw how he affected me a few nights ago. You saw how pathetic he made me; how weak, how hurt."

I place my hands on his arms, begging him to listen to me, to let these words absorb in his mind. "Jack and I were together once as boyfriend and girlfriend," I whisper, not wanting Jack to hear. If he hears too much, Jack might take this moment to mention my pregnancy. I'm still not ready to have everyone know yet.

"But some things happened...bad things," I continue. "Remember when we were having my singing lesson and I passed out?"

He nods.

"That's because I was thinking of Jack."

"You passed out because of him?" Erik points to Jack, who's standing there with his brows furrowed.

I nod. "Please believe me when I say that he and I are done. I promise you. But Jack keeps on bothering me because he wants us to be together again. I don't."

"Oh my God!" Jack's disgusted cry interrupts us. My hands remove from Erik's arms. "You...you two?! What the fucking hell?!"

Realization hits me: How is it that Jack suddenly knows my feelings?!

Jack goes into a mad frenzy. "God dammit, Amy!"

"Shh!" I sneak a peek at Allison's door. Please don't let anyone hear us. Please. Please. Please! I pray.

Jack ignores my request. "You will come back to me eventually, Amy. You are mine! Mine! Mine!"

Most babies usually know the word 'no' first, I think Jack's first words were 'mine'.

He takes a ferocious step towards me. I squeak and step back, peeking through my fingers. I feel Erik get shoved away as two hands grab hold of my arms. Jack forces his lips on mine.

Ow! My cheek! My lip. I no longer want to taste the alcohol on his breath or his slimy tongue.

I grab his shoulders, trying to shove him off me.

Somehow it works. I stumble back, holding a hand over my mouth, trying hard not to puke. Oh, God. Who knows what kind of women he has kissed!

Before I know it, knuckles hit skin and Jack falls onto his back. Rolling side-to-side on the carpeted floor, Jack is holding his nose, groaning, moaning, and cursing. Erik is still poised to punch another if he needs to. His whole frame is shaking. I reach forward, taking his gloved hand between the two of mine. Erik's head snaps towards me, his breath coming out in harsh gasps.

It scares me for a moment; he looks so animalistic.

"Shh," I soothe. "It's okay."

Erik, his face hardening, pulls his fist out of my grasp. He continues to glare at me.

My heart drops to my stomach. Oh no; he's mad at me. Why?

He grabs my wrist and pushes the door open so hard it slams against the wall. The noises catches everyone's attention.

Allison's jaw opens wide. "Oh my God! Amy, what happened?" She rushes to us, trying to keep up with Erik's constant pulling and tugging into the kitchen.

"Jack," I hiss to her.

Her eyes grow wide. "Bastard." Allison leaves for a second to peek out into the hallway. Erik pulls me to the sink, wetting a paper towel.

"He's gone," Allison announces. "But there was some big drops of blood on the floor. What happened?"

"Erik punched Jack," I inform her.

She fists pumps the air. "Yes! I only wish I did the honor."

I try to smile, but Erik, with an angered scowl, slaps the wet paper towel into the sink. I wince. He's mad as hell. I've never seen him this angry. This is worse than when he found out about Lola going to day-care. I can only hope it's not because of me. It probably is. But why?

He stalks into the living room. "I want everyone to leave! Right now!" Erik growls hoarsely. Everyone is frozen. "NOW! GO! LEAVE!"